Gray: This is Ayers’ year

Linebacker Akeem Ayers had by all accounts a very good season in 2012, when he led the Titans with 110 tackles, tied for second with six sacks and added eight passes defensed.

But defensive coordinator Jerry Gray sees reason to believe that 2013 will be the year that the third-year pro really takes off.

“I think this will be his year because when you look at Ayers as a rookie, he really wouldn’t even come talk to the defensive coordinator,” Gray said. “In his second year, he started talking a little bit more and now, he’s already come in and said, ‘Jerry, I like this and that.’

“That’s when guys understand who they are. They’re not trying to please everybody. They’re trying to please themselves and it’s your job as a coach to say, ‘This is what that guy is telling me, so believe it.’ ”

Ayers was used more and more in pass-rushing situations as the 2012 season progressed, posting five of his sacks in the final nine games. Expect more of the same this year, whether Ayers lines up as a defensive end or as a linebacker.

“We’ve got to find ways to get him rushing because he’s a big-body guy that has the athletic ability that can win one-on-one,” Gray said. “Let’s put him in a position to where he can help this team win some football games.”

To that end, Gray watched all of the Broncos’ 2012 tapes, taking note of how they finished tied for the NFL lead in sacks with 52. Denver got a lot of production out of Von Miller (18.5 sacks) and Elvis Dumervil (11), two players who – like Ayers – can swing between linebacker and defensive end.

“I thought they did a terrific job on defense with their packages,” Gray said of the Broncos. “They have some special pass-rush guys also. But they played linebacker, they were linebacker-type guys. We’ve got some similarities, so hopefully we can create some similarities to what they did last year.”